It is always amusing to me how the users of a product, myself included, always know what is best for a product, and always seem to know the answers for all the other users throughout the world, and again, I include myself in that group as well.
The truth of the matter is, PTC is a Product Development company that is looking to: 1.) make a profit; 2.) "steal" customers away from competitors; 3.) make a product that keeps customers coming back for more...to me that is business 101.
Now, it there product(s) perfect? Hell NO! But everyone needs to face the facts and truth, it NEVER will be! PTC is never going to be able to produce a product that will make 100% of all its customers happy at one time, and if you think they are going to be focusing on one thing that is going to make just one person/company happy, no matter how much money they through at PTC, you are living in a dream world, and it is time to share the drugs with everyone else.
Whether you believe it or not, there are several ways to express your dissatisfaction with any of the PTC products. These include, but not limited to:
1. Enhancement Request
I know that many do not believe these are looked at, and that the request go into a database black hole.
I will admit that in years past there was a more "structured" process of submission and review. However, more recently this has seemed to slack off some, BUT, the enhancements are still reviewed and taken into consideration.
I cannot comment on the follow up process that PTC does or does not take, but, I can say that enhancements, and the entire process is a topic of conversation at least twice a year. And, since I cannot go into details without breaking any Confidentially Agreements, I will say that a new/improved process is in the works that I think people (some) will be happy with.
2. Tech Support
Show and explain issues to Tech Support, that is what we all pay maintenance for.
Now, some may consider Tech Support to be a joke sometimes, myself included, but you need to be able to push an issue with them, and "force" them to follow up and through with your request. Insist that an issue is not resolved until you are happy. Insist that your issue be directed to a Tech Support Manager and to Product Development, and get the names of those people so that you can follow up with them directly.
3. Technical Committees
(Until you are a part of the Tech Committees and experience what the members do and the time/effort that members commit, do not say it does not work! I personally take offense to that statement and I know of several other members that will as well)!!!
The Technical Committees are a group of volunteers from various companies, Large and SMALL companies.
I have to disagree with Damian about his statement on the Tech Committees.
First, I am not sure what Damian is referring to as far as the requirements for being a member, especially since recently the bylaws for the TC membership has changed drastically (much to my dislike).
Secondly, having been a member of various TCs for over 10 years, with the last 5 years from a small company, I can tell you first handed that the larger companies DO NOT drive everything that happens in the TCs, or what PTC does. EVERYONE in a TC meeting, know what size company, has a equal voice and equal time on any topic and/or issue.
We ALL have the same amount of time and input to PTC Product Manager and Developers, and we do this twice a year face to face, and several times in between on conference calls and web meetings.
Lastly, I would say that is you feel that Tech Support or PTC is not listening, and there is something that you feel strongly about, whether it is Functionality or the UI, contact a Technical Committee Chairperson. This is not to say that we can guarantee a fix or solution, but since we have direct contact with the Product Managers we can present your issue/concern to the right people and perhaps get you some feedback that may typically be hard to come by.
In the past I have done this several times, some with good results, some with not so good responses, but some response is better than none.
4. Regional User Groups
Attend a Regional Users Group meeting. At these meetings there is almost always a PTC person there to present issues too, and there may even be a Technical Committee member there as well.
Just about every RUG meeting that I have been too I hear directly from users that feel they have no other voice, and I can either address there issue right there, or follow up with them at a later time.
Make these Committee, RUGs, and PTC work for you. That is what they are there for. But I will say this about all of them, if something is presented in a rant, bashing, or nothing to back it up, it is a little harder to be motivated to follow through and help.
I am not saying that any of the above methods are perfect, and I know that it is impossible to make everyone happy, especially myself (just ask anyone from PTC that knows me), but I think that people need to consider what is more important, and what is the most realistic approach for PTC to peruse?
I think I am one of the most out spoken TC members when it comes to the UI changes , and for the "half completed" functionality implementations.
I do not like the fact that in most modules there is still a Menu Manager, and I am not all that crazy about the dashboard, especially when there are some functions that uses a dashboard and others use a dialog, and others use the menu manager. IT is, and can be very frustrating...and don't even get me started on the new WF5 Drawing Ribbon UI....OMG!!!
Damian mentions Manikin, and again, sorry I have to disagree with him.
I think it is an advancement in PTC technology that is great, and long overdue.
There are a lot of companies that must deal with the Human interaction of a product and with Manikin that is now possible within PRO/E.
Why did they spend the development time for this? The better question is, what took so long. And even if it was for a small number of customers, so what, they are customers too and there is a market that can and will expand.
The UI is going to change, and it is going to be a constant change in order to stay competitive in the CADD market, so you might as well get used to it, and prepare for it. As many of you said, other CADD packages are there with the interface, and I think we all agree that PTC needs to get there as well.
They are engineering software programmers, not User Interface designers, and I would much rather have PTC make the new and/or enhanced functionality more then I want a pretty interface. I understand the frustration as much as anyone. The Wildfire interface was never really completed with the Dashboard UI and less Menu Manager interactions, however, I have been living with it because I like the functionality in Sheetmetal that has improved; I like the new Pattern functionality that has been added; I like the Component Interfaces and Flexible Components in assembly mode. Would any of you really be willing to have one release that was NOTHING BUT UI changes? You really want maintenance dollars going JUST FOR UI?
To end my rant...having seen and discussed WF6 and beyond in the Technical Committees, there are going to be changes that force us all, new and experienced users, to adapt to a new UI, but with that new UI there is going to be functionality improvements and additions that will continue to make PTC the leader in MCAD market.
Other the UI (in drawings), WF5 offers a lot of great enhancement that people should really consider before getting to hung up on the UI..Such as:
MAJOR improvements made in assembly with Restructure
NO Resolve Mode
Simplified Reps
Explode States
Envelope and Shrinkwrap changes
Placing components with the secondary window (hint; split model and layer tree)
Combined States, and how they can be previewed before they are opened.
I would suggest looking that the new Point Pattern option in Part Mode,
UDF functionality
Take a look at the MAJOR re-work of Welding functionality for Assemblies and for PARTS
Take a look at Sheetmetal and how Forms are placed now
Pattern Walls
Mirror Walls
Interface is now consistent between all the wall options.
And if you can get past the ribbon interface in Drawings:
Split Model/Drawing tree
Sheet tabs at the bottom of the sheet
Have you tried the new Show Model Annotations dialog (was Show/Erase). This is not bad once you get used to it.
Did you look at the Edit Dimension dialog and the improvements to the workflow
The Hole tables and what they can now report
ANYONE notice the Model Tree Columns (hint; people bitch all the time about the column widths)?
How about the new Appearance Editor
RMB Insert functionality in the Model Tree
How about Sketcher and the constraints within the RMB
IF you are struggling in the Drawing Interface with the Tabs and content sensitive functionality, or mouse movement back to the Ribbon, did you notice all the RMB functionality additions, that changes for each of the Tabs? When I saw this, I hardly ever went up the Ribbon again unless it was to change Tabs..and if you are struggling with the Tab changes, then I will probably be breaking confidentiality here, but, there is supposed to be a way of more easily switching drawing tabs, but it did not make the 1st pre-production build.
One last hint about drawings, if you stuck in a Tab and you want to select a something that is not related to the Tab/Content, hold the ALT key and make the selection. That is limited to move only, but hey....come up with a workaround till the interface shit gets straightened out.
Joel Nelson
PTC/USER Sheetmetal TC Chair
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